


Five Nights at Spencer's

by Emachinescat



Category: Psych
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, References to Five Nights at Freddy's, References to Skyrim, References to Video Games, Romance, Suspense, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 23:47:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11611476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emachinescat/pseuds/Emachinescat
Summary: When Shawn goes undercover as an up-and-coming YouTuber, he discovers that being a "Let's Player" isn't all it's cracked up to be, not when you're being stalked by murderous animatronics, horrific specters, and a real, live, honest-to-God... dragon...? Forget what your parents told you. It's NOT just a game. Rated for violence, whump, and language. Post-finale.





	1. Hating on the Player and the Game

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a homage to not only some of the most popular forms of entertainment today, but also to the entertainers and the genre itself. Since it takes place in 2015, it's been about a year since Shawn and Gus relocated to San Fran - but Lassie's still sticking his nose into the story, anyway. For the sake of this story, we're going to pretend that the whole Monk reference didn't happen at the end of season 8, and that Shawn and Gus are the only consultants consistently hired by the SFPD. And Henry's going to butt his way into the story, too, even from retirement in Santa Barbara. So business as usual. :)
> 
> ((Needless to say, since this is one of my stories, there will most certainly be whump. Right now, rating is T, but if it gets too graphic, I'll change it to M.))
> 
> See the end of chapter note for more information about the background and inspiration for this story! :)
> 
> Starting out slow here with the obligatory flashback prologue... this absolutely sets the stage for the rest of the story. Enjoy, and please review!

_1992_

"Shawn, I said  _no_."

Fifteen-year-old Shawn Spencer scowled indignantly at his father. "Why the hell not?" he spat back, watching with a certain degree of satisfaction and foreboding as his dad's hackles rose.

"Watch your mouth, kid," Henry snapped, and Shawn noticed with no small bit of pride that he'd managed to make both the vein on his father's left temple and the one on his neck bulge in frustration. "And you know damn well why."

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Come  _on_ , Dad!" he practically whined. "It's just a game. It's not like I'm going to lose it and go on a killing spree."

"See, Shawn, that's exactly your problem," Henry ground out, snatching the case out of Shawn's hands. "You think of it as just a game – but when does the line between 'game' and 'reality' begin to blur? When does violence suddenly become the answer to everyday problems? I swear, if parents keep letting their kids indulge in this crap, America's going to have an epidemic on its hands."

Realizing that whining and wheedling wasn't getting him anywhere, Shawn decided to take the logical route. "Really, Dad? Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far? I play  _Mortal Kombat_  and suddenly I'm a serial killer?  _Everybody's_  playing it."

"I've spent the better part of my life fighting against crap like this," Henry rebutted, waving the game in front of his son's face. "I'm not going to let it into my house." He spun on his heel and stalked toward Shawn's bedroom door.

Incensed at the unfairness of it all, Shawn forgot about logic and nestled back into familiar territory. "What are you going to do with my game?" he demanded, arms crossed petulantly. "I bought it myself!"

Henry snorted. "Yeah, with Gus's money. Just be glad I found out about it before Mrs. Guster did – you're already on very thin ice with her at the moment." He glanced down at the box art, considering. "A friend of mine is having a yard sale next month. The game's in almost new condition; he should get a few bucks out of it, anyway." Glancing back at his teenage son's horrified face, Henry threw back over his shoulder, "By the way, you're grounded," before leaving Shawn to stew.

At the little nudge of uncertainty at his harshness, Henry strengthened his resolve. Like hell was he going to let his kid play a game that glorified gratuitous violence.

Shawn would just have to stick with  _Mario, Madden,_  and  _Space Invaders_.


	2. The Game's a Foot - a Stinky, Sweaty Foot

_2015_

Shawn Spencer strode through the front doors of the San Francisco Police Department like he owned the place – which he pretty much did, he thought smugly, as he caught the eye of the head detective, his drop-dead gorgeous fiancée, from where she was in deep discussion with a couple of rookies on the far side of the bullpen. A quick smile, first at him, then at Gus, who trailed behind him, and she returned to her conversation.

Passing a few officers – Hayes, Davenport, Jones – whom they'd come to know fairly well over the last year, Shawn nodded but didn't stop to chat. Chief Vick had called him in this morning, and her voice had been tight and her tone no-nonsense, which could only mean one thing – a big case was headed his way.

It had taken a while, but Shawn and Gus had finally settled down in San Francisco. Shawn had moved in with Juliet, and Gus was renting an apartment down the street, working part-time at a local, remote pharmaceutical company, and, of course, working with his best friend at the new Psych office. It was smaller than the one in Santa Barbara, but real estate was a lot more expensive in San Fran; Gus had imperiously spouted off at least four times since they'd relocated that San Francisco was the most densely populated city in California, and the second densest in the U.S. Still, it was cozy, and it was Psych, and it was his – and with every day, with every case, every moment with Jules, and every food stand raid with Gus, San Francisco was becoming more and more like home.

"So tell me," Gus ordered as he and Shawn picked their way across the lobby, which was, most of the time, substantially more crowded than the SBPD had been on even its busiest days. "What did Chief Vick say when she called this morning?"

Huffing, Shawn rolled his eyes, throwing back over his shoulder, "Gus, don't be a lime green bowler hat," he chided. "I told you everything."

"You told me nothing," Gus countered sourly.

"Exactly."

"Shawn, that makes no sense."

"Gus, I'm serious here. The chief just told me there's a case that's come up that's sensitive to the public, and she's wanting every person she has available on it."

Gus snorted. "That's more than you told me this morning."

"That is categorically and gynocologically untrue."

"First off, ew. Secondly, all you said when you texted me this morning was, 'Station in ten. Come if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same.'"

Shawn grinned devilishly. "How cool does that sound?"

"It was cool on  _Sherlock._  It's just sad when you're plagiarizing it."

"Man, I–"

The door to the chief's office opened, and an irritated chief peered out. "Spencer! Guster! Get the hell in here, stop bickering like children, and close the damn door behind you!"  _Slam._

Shawn and Gus blinked at one another, confused. "Did we just go back in time?" Shawn asked, staring at the spot where Chief Carlton Lassiter of the SBPD had just moments before been.

Gus thought for a moment. "I don't know. It's weird; what would Lassie be doing here?" He blanched. "Oh my gosh. You don't think he's taking over here, too?"

Shawn shuddered. "Okay, here's what we do—"

The door slammed open again. Lassiter's face popped into sight again, red with rage. "NOW!"

Only sparing a quick glance at one another, Shawn and Gus steeled themselves for whatever strange twist of fate awaited them and followed Lassiter into the office. The door thudded shut behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a product of its time. A trend in recent years has been the rise of "Let's Players" on sites such as YouTube and Twitch - basically, gamers who make their name by playing video games and commenting on them, giving tutorials, showing people without access to the games the gameplay, or just acting like idiots while playing a game. Some notable figures today are PewDiePie, Markiplier (love him!), Jacksepticeye (love him too!), and groups like Rooster Teeth or Achievement Hunters. Now, none of these real life people will be in this story, though they may be referenced. There will be some original characters based off of them - or rather, off of pretty much any prolific Let's Player out there.
> 
> One of the most entertaining types of games to watch them play are horror games, and one of the most iconic horror games today was released in 2014, "Five Nights at Freddy's." If you don't know anything about the game, don't worry - it will be explained in the story. There may be references to other popular games, like PT, Skyrim, Silent Hill, Bioshock, etc... but nothing that non-gamers will scratch their heads over.
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I already have the next four chapters written, so I should be updating this fairly often! :)


End file.
